In many different industrial applications, it is desirable to secure one elongate object to another parallel elongate object in a spaced relationship. For example, it is common practice in the communication industry to suspend signal transmission cables, such as telephone cables and television cables, from wire support cables that are in turn secured between upright pole supports by metal brackets. The transmission cable is typically secured to the weight supporting cable by a helical lashing wire wrapped around and along the length of both cables. The lashing wire terminates and is fixed to the support cable a short distance from both sides of the support pole. The non-lashed section of transmission cable proximate the support pole is free to move relative to the support cable and the support cable's mounting bracket. Free movement of the cable relative to the support pole and the mounting bracket can result in abrasion damage to the transmission cable as the freely moving section of transmission cable flexes against the support cable mounting bracket.
To prevent such abrasion damage, a cable spacer has typically been secured between the support cable and the transmission cable on either side of the support pole to limit the movement of the transmission cable relative to the support cable and thus prevent the transmission cable from coming into contact with the support cable bracket.
Cable spacers are also used to position a transmission cable relative to a support cable in the proximity of various types of in-line junction boxes, such as splice cases, repeaters and amplifiers in order to neatly position the components and prevent strain on the connecting hardware. In all these uses, the optimal amount of separation of the support and transmission cable will vary depending upon the size of the cables and the manner in which they are used. Reference may be had to the following United States patents which each propose a different cable spacer: U.S. Pat. No. 2,595,857 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,334.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,595,857 discloses a spacer that is secured by a clamping band to adjacent cables. Such a spacer does not provide for variable spacing of adjacent cables; different spacing requirements necessitating the stocking of a number of different spacer sizes. Additionally, such a spacer tends to be unstable in larger sizes, which can result in undesirable spacer movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,334, which patent is owned by our common assignee, Panduit Corp., discloses a one piece cable tie for positioning a first and a second wire relative to one another. The one piece cable ties does not allow variable spacing of adjacent cables.
None of the above patents disclose a cable spacer which will allow variable adjustment of the amount of separation of adjacent cables while securely and stably positioning the adjacent cables. The prior cable spacers require the manufacture and stocking of a number of different cable spacer sizes in order to provide for different spacing requirements, with the resultant increased expense, inconvenience and inflexibility.